The Pentagon has removed four U.S. service members from the list of casualties related to Operation Epic Fury, according to the Defense Casualty Analysis System. Previously, the total number of U.S. troops killed in the Iran war was reported as 18, but it has now been adjusted to 14.
The service members removed include Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, who were killed in a missile attack on July 17 at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, and Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, who died while dismantling a downed drone at Erbil Air Base in Iraq.
According to the New York Times, military officials indicated that the deaths were removed because they occurred during a ceasefire declared by President Donald Trump. Trump had included these service members in his casualty count earlier, referring to them as “four great American patriots.”
In a Senate hearing, War Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized Democrats for not supporting U.S. troops, suggesting they lack the political courage to fund military operations. He made these remarks during discussions about a $67 billion supplemental budget request.
The Pentagon has not released much information about U.S. operations in Iran since the ceasefire agreement with Tehran collapsed. While deaths of service members are legally required to be reported, injuries are not. U.S. officials have indicated that there were three Iranian strikes last week in Jordan that resulted in injuries to dozens of service members and damage to helicopters. The Pentagon's casualty reporting system indicates that approximately 420 troops have been wounded in Iran, with nearly 100 injuries reported since July 7, most of which were minor concussions.